Hi all! I'm thinking of drinking green smoothie for breakfast every morning but am confused about using raw or cooked vegetables for it?

I understand that raw is usually used but my concern is with using non-organic vegetables. i'm thinking of vegetables that i can find in a big supermarket because that would be much more convenient and easy for me to commit to it given that it should be made fresh everyday.

I'm thinking of lightly steaming the greens, maybe about 3 minutes, before blending? or do you think that if i give the greens a soak and good wash, i can use them raw?

would appreciate some advice from ppl who are currently doing the green smoothie thing!

Hi all! I'm thinking of drinking green smoothie for breakfast every morning but am confused about using raw or cooked vegetables for it?

I understand that raw is usually used but my concern is with using non-organic vegetables. i'm thinking of vegetables that i can find in a big supermarket because that would be much more convenient and easy for me to commit to it given that it should be made fresh everyday.

I'm thinking of lightly steaming the greens, maybe about 3 minutes, before blending? or do you think that if i give the greens a soak and good wash, i can use them raw?

would appreciate some advice from ppl who are currently doing the green smoothie thing!

Type O's can slugghish thyroids and raw cruciferous veggies ie: brocolli, kale, brussels sprouts etc...contain goitregens which adversely affect the thyroid. I cook this before adding to smoothies. Also, I've recently discovered that the grain, millet contains goitregens that are greatly increased when cooked and have stopped using this grain and my energy level & 'crampy' thyroid have improved. They are so many other grains that we can eat.

I understand that raw is usually used but my concern is with using non-organic vegetables.

I don't think the pesticides will be reduced by heating or cooking. I have only prepared them with raw veggies and favor spinach, asparagus and cilantro but normally add a few grapes and/or fresh pineapple. I don't really tolerate the strong flavors of raw broccoli and kale but steaming would be a good idea since you would be leaving most of the nutrients in tact.

If you are purchasing non-organic, try to avoid those with a high pesticide content. Lists are available online. Spinach is high, asparagus low, broccoli in the middle. Most leafy greens are high in pesticides. You could also try locally grown if available. Sometimes they are "non-certified" organic.

We have a wonderful organic stall at one of the Friday markets. They also sell eggs, which are the best I've tasted so far. Who knows, maybe they don't feed them corn, soy.... I am not going to call the chicken grower! Less heartache! Or am I?.....

I've been having a daily green smoothie using only raw fruits and vegetables for a couple of months now and, if I purchase any conventional greens, especially any that are on the Environmental Working Group's 'Dirty Dozen' list, I follow the guidelines for Dr. Hazel Parcells' Clorox bath (the use of which was also adopted by the US military in various deployment areas with suspect water and/or foodstuff sanitation). The Clorox bath was developed in the early '60s by Dr. Hazel Parcells when she headed the research division of Sierra State University's Nutrition Department in California.

Further testing of the Clorox bath by Doctor Parcells found that pesticides, parasites and other contaminants were removed with this simple soak. The active ingredient in Clorox bleach is sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). When dissolved in a solution of water, sodium hypochlorite will slowly decompose, releasing chlorine, oxygen and sodium hydroxide. However, it is important to note that ONLY the pure form of Clorox household bleach, which is a 6-percent solution of sodium hypochlorite at the time of manufacture, be used for the Clorox bath ... and NOT the newer formulations that contain laundry boosting additives, et cetera.

More information regarding the Clorox bath can be located online. From personal experience, though, I've tested an equal number of lemons and oranges that I bought at the same time and from the same produce racks at the grocery store. Half of each fruit I soaked and half of each I merely rinsed and dried before placing them in their respective produce bins in the refrigerator. Within two weeks the 'rinsed' lemons and oranges were shriveling and a few had mold-like growths on them, whereas the 'soaked' lemons and oranges still had a clean, plump appearance with no apparent taste degradation. Too, the 'soaked' fruits remained in a similar state of freshness for an additional three weeks. Thus, I was convinced.

Here are the guidelines I follow for soaking conventional produce and/or eggs:

Soak produce/eggs in a ratio of one (1) teaspoon of pure Clorox bleach to every one (1) gallon of water (I prefer to use distilled but I've found that filtered water from a Brita-type pitcher works equally well).

SOAKING TIMES

Leafy vegetables: 15 minutes

Thick-skinned or root vegetables: 30 minutes

Thin-skinned berries: 15 minutes

Thick-skinned fruits: 30 minutes

Eggs: 30 minutes

Prepare a fresh batch of Clorox water for each food group and dispose of all soak water after each use. After prescribed soak times, Doctor Parcells recommended rinsing and then soaking in a FRESH water bath for an equal amount of time before using or drying off and storing. If refrigerating the produce after soaking, dry all food well.

Hope this helps.

Compliant, me?!? ... I even attended a university whose mascot is one of my ◆ Superfoods!What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.~ Titus Lucretius Carus

For those that would rather not soak your food in a chlorine solution you might want to try using a bath with grapefruit seed extract instead. If you search on the web you will find vegetable rinses with just grapefruit seed extract and water as well bath with grapefruit seed extract and other substances.

do y'all think i should freeze the greens so that i dont have to use them up so quickly? i also read that we shouldn't freeze lettuce? is that true??

For those days when I know I'll be pushed for time, I keep individual bags of broccoli (florets), kale, rapini, spinach and turnip greens in the freezer. I buy the Whole Foods 365 brand, and these are all pre-chopped so it makes for easy and quick measuring. Also, this brand is relatively economical (for Whole Foods, anyhow). These greens seem to stand up to freezing okay; I find that I waste less because they're already trimmed; and, they help chill the smoothie without adding ice.

As for lettuce, I don't think it's so much a matter of we shouldn't freeze it but, more, that it just does so poorly being frozen (especially the higher water content lettuces like crisphead/iceberg). The cellulose cell walls rupture once the ice crystals form. Then the leaves turn somewhat slimy upon thawing. If you never thaw them, though, I guess they'd be okay. However, if you want more bang for your buck out of the smoothies, it seems that you'd be better off going with the more nutrient dense greens such as broccoli, kale and the like.

By the way, if you haven't seen it, there's a book titled 'The Big Book of Juices and Smoothies' that contains some very good green smoothie recipes.

Compliant, me?!? ... I even attended a university whose mascot is one of my ◆ Superfoods!What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.~ Titus Lucretius Carus

wow thanks for the detailed advice! people on this forum are so helpful!

I froze some baby spinach, bok choy, baby bok choy, bananas, red and green apples this afternoon! kept the romaine lettuce in the crisper section wrapped with a paper towel! will be using the lettuce for my smoothies first since they can only last up to a week.i find that 1 head of romaine lettuce is really mild and does not seem to be enough greens though. maybe my lettuce is just smaller than the regular one!

btw, does anybody know whether i should be measuring the frozen vegetables by cup (since they are blanched, they tend to become smaller) or by the number of leaves or just eyeball a handful?

Conor- your sig line is really funny. Did Dr D even evaluate iguana on BTD or GTD?

I can't imagine using chlorine bleach in my kitchen on a regular basis. I'm sooo sensitive to chlorine, i get sick if I'm downwind of the public swimming pool in the summer! I use hydrogen peroxide to sanitize the area around my kitchen sink, so I can kill germs/mold without breathing in chlorine. I've been lazy lately and buying baby carrots for the kids, even though I know they're treated with chlorine before bagging. I can't eat them myself- they have a "chemical" taste to me, so I use the regular carrots for myself.

I think I'd get quite sick if I treated all my veggies and eggs with chlorine before storing them. I guess if I did it all the time, I'd just be tired and icky feeling and not know why, but if I had one chlorine-treated meal right now I'm sure I'd react to it.

I can see the point of using the clorox soak on foods in the armed forces, where they may be making camp in places with "less than perfect" water and inadequate refrigeration. But in my kitchen, I'd rather buy smaller quantities of food and shop every week. I don't need to buy a month's supply of lemons at once!

For those who want to give this bleach bath a try, just bear in mind that this kind of reaction to chlorine is possible- watch out for it in yourself and other household members. At the very least, do the soaking with adequate ventilation!

Conor- your sig line is really funny. Did Dr D even evaluate iguana on BTD or GTD? ... I can't imagine using chlorine bleach in my kitchen on a regular basis ... I don't need to buy a month's supply of lemons at once!

Thanks, and I don't think so ... but then I can't find Komodo dragon, either. <~;

As for the Clorox bath, I can certainly understand anyone's hesitancy in using it. Especially if they're already sensitive to chemicals, even minute amounts. Maybe this is one of those instances where I'm lucky that, as Doctor D'Adamo pointed out, my GT is not particularly sensitive to environmental chemicals. Regardless, I definitely reviewed the mechnisms involved before personally using this method. I also took into consideration that Doctor Parcells lived to be 106 years old and used the Clorox bath on her produce daily (however, I do know that some people smoke and still live to a ripe old age, but I'm not going to follow their lead). Too, an equally important aspect of the process is to rinse and then soak again in fresh water for at least an equal amount of time as the Clorox bath ... so as to completely allow any small amounts of residual Clorox to chemically break down in the water dilution (I usually do the rinse soak in sunlight, as well, since UV radiation in sunlight provides energy which aids the breakdown of underchloric acid (HOCl) molecules). The bottom line for me is that I was looking for a relatively healthy and cost-effective way to wash conventional produce, as I was tired of spending money on overpriced fruit and vegetable sprays/washes and/or grapefruit seed/citrus extracts. At a ratio of one teaspoon for every gallon of water, it'll take me quite a long time to go through an entire $1.99 gallon bottle of Clorox. And, again, I understand that it's not for everyone. I just wanted to offer it as an alternative.

By the way, with the lemons and oranges, that was simply an experiment. I decided to see how long they'd last. I don't regularly buy an entire month's worth of citrus.

Compliant, me?!? ... I even attended a university whose mascot is one of my ◆ Superfoods!What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.~ Titus Lucretius Carus

I'm a little confused here about the mold not growing on the "soaked" citrus... it seems to me that for that to be the case, there would still have to be some chlorine on the fruit that would be killing the mold...

So if the purpose of the chlorine bath is to kill pathogens such as E.coli, which I think is what it IS for, I don't see how this has anything to do with pesticide/insecticide removal, as these chemicals also seem to retard spoilage. And we know that there are also other extra chemicals put on produce for the express purpose of killing molds that cause/indicate spoilage.

I personally like to eat foods that are prone to spoilage... which lets me know that they are nutritionally rich enough to sustain a mold growth. Of course, I don't eat foods that actually have spoiled, but I like to know that they could...

So anything that increases fresh produce's storage life is the opposite of what I want to use. For example, I use a fruit/veggie wash on organic apples but only just before eating. When I have washed them and then for whatever reason have decided not to eat right then and stored in the fridge, they 'go bad' sooner because the natural protective coating on the skin has been removed.

But if killing mold and bacteria is the only goal... then chlorine will certainly work. But I wouldn't want to eat it afterwards. Using bleach seems about as bad to me as irradiation does.

The fruit/veggie wash I use I purchase as an economical concentrate that I reconstitute with distilled water. Perhaps not quite as cheap as bleach, but not expensive either.

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is."(American baseball player and manager Yogi Berra, or computer scientist Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut, or physicist Albert Einstein - depending on the source...)

you can probably try adding some protein powder into your smoothie to get the protein you need! or just make a medium cup size of smoothie to go with your normal breakfast instead of substituting it whole.

If I'm making a smoothie as a meal replacement (even breakfast) then I add protein powder to it. I haven't done this in a while because compliant protien powders are so expensive.

I've made a green smoothie (about 1/4 cup frozen raspberries or blueberries to 1 cup frozen spinach and water to cover) and eaten that with cooked eggs (hard boiled if I'm in a hurry, fried or scrambled otherwise.) So the smoothie becomes the "veggies" part of the meal, not the whole meal.

I've made a green smoothie with no added protein (in the smoothie or eaten alongside) if it's for a snack between meals.

I am thinking about trying a green smoothie myself, but I am curious if not eating the protein for my breakfast is all that beneficial?

Your green smoothies will have some naturally occuring proteins from any type-compliant vegetables included; e.g., asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cauliflower, garlic, kale, spinach, watercress have plus or minus one gram of protein for each ounce of produce (garlic is double, i.e., two grams per ounce).

Too, I always add a couple of additional plant proteins in compliance with my type(s). One day I'll add one ounce of organic chia seed (4g protein) and an ounce of soaked pumpkin seed (8g protein). Another day I'll add an ounce of raw, soaked almonds (6g protein) and one-quarter cup of cooked adzuki beans (8g protein). So, my breakfast (or lunch) green smoothie will usually have at least 18-20 grams of protein. Having it with a pickled egg boosts the protein content even more. And it might sound strange, the thought of putting beans in a smoothie, but I had the idea in Hawai'i from having a shave ice with adzuki beans. The beans add an undertone of sweetness, and additional creaminess, to the smoothie.

Like typoO and ruthiegirl have both mentioned, an option is to go protein-less in the smoothie and simply have it with your animal protein-based meal. A lot if times, especially when I don't feel like getting out multiple pots to cook, I'll just grill a fillet of fish or lamb chop and throw some mango, lemon, ginger and three or four handfuls of greens into the VitaMix, blend it on high for a minute and I have all the greens I might not have eaten with my meal, but should have, because I didn't feel like steaming them or whatever ... the bonus for me is that they're raw (full of enzymes) and the blender does a better job of breaking down the cell walls of the tough greens than I could do by mastication alone (although I do still 'chew' the smoothie just to mix saliva with it to start the digestion process). While I don't know this for fact, I think my system's able to better extract more of the nutrients contained within the greens when I blend them. I've also found that buying even the organic version of fresh kale, turnip greens, bok choy, et cetera, is fairly economical ... a lot more so than buying organic fruits, at least.

In case you don't have this link, you can look up the nutritional profile of most any food here:

http://nutritiondata.self.com/

If you use Firefox as your web browser, the above site has a browser plug-in available so that you can simply search on any food item directly from your browser search bar. (If you use Internet Explorer, they also have a plug-in for it using the Google Toolbar, but it's not as discreet; i.e., it takes up more real estate in your browser window than the Firefox plug-in.) You can find either one of these by going to the above URL and clicking on the "Tools" heading in the site's main navigation bar.

Compliant, me?!? ... I even attended a university whose mascot is one of my ◆ Superfoods!What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.~ Titus Lucretius Carus

what are the best green veggies for a sluggish thyroid to put in a smoothie, or veggies in general?

High-quality kelp seaweed is a very good source of iodine and can be consumed raw, sprinkled on food or ingested by capsules. Land vegetables that are good sources of iodine include Jerusalem artichoke, fennel and spinach. Vegetables rich in tyrosine include avocado, lima beans and lentils. Some vegetables rich in tyrosine, such as mustard greens, soybeans, spinach and cabbage are considered goitrogens. It is thought that cooking these vegetables prior to eating them neutralizes most of their goitrogenic potential. Yellow vegetables such as winter squash and turnips, orange vegetables such as carrots and sweet potatoes, and dark green, leafy vegetables all contain goodly amounts of vitamin A or beta-carotene, antioxidants that act to destroy free radicals capable of causing thyroid gland damage and degeneration. Broccoli, spinach, kale and onions are rich in minerals, especially selenium and zinc. Although, cruciferous vegetables, i.e., broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, turnips, et al, contain isothiocyanates, they are thought to be more or less neutralized by cooking.

One thing you might consider is initially buying the bulk of your smoothie greens in frozen form, as most manufacturers briefly blanch the vegetables before freezing and packaging them. That should take care of the cooking part so as to minimize any goitrogenous activity.

As for other 'non-green' ingredients which you might consider adding to your smoothies are omega-3 fatty acid items such as flax and/or chia seed, as well as walnuts for their alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), to assist in reducing inflammation (said to be present in many instances of hypothyroidism).

Additionally, per comments by two of the FDA's foremost researchers on soy, Daniel Doerge and Daniel Sheehan, it seems prudent to stay away from soy completely when hypothyroidism is a concern:

Quoted Text

"Additionally, isoflavones are inhibitors of the thyroid peroxidase which makes T3 and T4. Inhibition can be expected to generate thyroid abnormalities, including goiter and autoimmune thyroiditis. There exists a significant body of animal data that demonstrates goitrogenic and even carcinogenic effects of soy products. Moreover, there are significant reports of goitrogenic effects from soy consumption in human infants and adults .... "

Compliant, me?!? ... I even attended a university whose mascot is one of my ◆ Superfoods!What is food to one man is bitter poison to others.~ Titus Lucretius Carus

I have recently been using flax oil and lecithin together (per Dr D's reccommendation) in smoothies, mostly greens, sometimes fruits, and I can't believe how much more 'palatable' they are. I don't miss the milk, even the 'compliant milks, because it is so creamy and delish. In fact, since I don't eat bananas and didn't want to add milks, I had backed off on the green smoothies because they were so... well... not smooth... kind of watery and yuck. But now, they are yummy!

And since now I have such difficulty chewing veggies due to braces for treating TMJD, the green smoothies are more necessary than ever before!

"In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. In practice, there is."(American baseball player and manager Yogi Berra, or computer scientist Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut, or physicist Albert Einstein - depending on the source...)

Thanks sharpy I was aware of the issue re that, but seem to get no problem, while machines are on low. none in bedrooms. also machines are placed by doors and run for about a minute every ten mins or something like that on low.

I did have a friend become uncomfortable using a machine I loaned him. but he had turned it to high inadvertently -

I got them to fight mould and formaldehyde which works well. they also work well to keep sprouted seeds and soaked stuff mould free.

Hi all! I'm thinking of drinking green smoothie for breakfast every morning but am confused about using raw or cooked vegetables for it?

I understand that raw is usually used but my concern is with using non-organic vegetables. i'm thinking of vegetables that i can find in a big supermarket because that would be much more convenient and easy for me to commit to it given that it should be made fresh everyday.

I'm thinking of lightly steaming the greens, maybe about 3 minutes, before blending? or do you think that if i give the greens a soak and good wash, i can use them raw?

would appreciate some advice from ppl who are currently doing the green smoothie thing!

Hi, first of all please excuse for my English (normally my husband help me) I learn that soak the vegetable or fruit (if not organic) with water and Baking soda (water just about 5 litter, 1 table spoon of baking soda mix together) it will help take off the pesticide about 50%Here I copy from Thai web and Translate to English(google translate thoung):

How to wash vegetables thoroughly, many ways. The safe consumption of toxic substances.

Vegetables are an important food for the body. The Rose of cellulose, which is useful in preventing disease, constipation, bowel movement. And vegetables are important in the eyes of vitamin A, vitamin C helps nourish the gums and teeth. And immune to the body. But today, consumers often face the problem of pesticide residues in vegetables. Due to the use of chemicals and pesticides that are not appropriate. And care of farm products. Impact on the health of consumers. Therefore, consumers should consider buying a safe from toxins such as vegetables that have been approved by the government. Or organizations, etc. There is also a way to reduce the toxic residues in vegetables. To protect the health of consumers in various ways. Cooking and eating as before.

How to wash vegetables thoroughly to reduce the amount of toxins.

1. peeling. Then soaked in water for 5-10 minutes, then rinse with water again to residues 27 to 72 percent.

2. Lime water for 10 minutes, then rinse with water again. The residues 34 to 52 percent.

3. Broil with lot of water The heat. The residues 48 to 50 percent.

4. Potassium permanganate in water for 10 hours (Rules 20 to 30 scale) with 4 liters of water), rinse with water again. The residues 35 to 43 percent.

5. Washed with tap water for 2 minutes to residues 25 to 39 percent.

6. Ngmsawkgaw soaked for 10 minutes and rinse with water again to residues 29 to 38 percent.7.. Water, vinegar or salt. (Vinegar or salt, 1 tablespoon water 4 ml) and washed with water again to residues 29 to 38 percent.

8. Soaking liquid buy from healthy food store and rinse the vegetables for 10 minutes, rinse with water again to residues 22 to 36 percent.

For me, most buy organic and lightly steaming the greens suchas Broccoli, Cauliflower, swiss chad, maybe about 2- 3 minutes, before blending. Only raw spinach, cilandtro and use celery and carrot juice.

Vegetable juice, blended with a mineral substance that helps restore the function of every organ in the body to absorb the five systems, the respiratory system. Circulatory system. The immune system. And endocrine systems.

A film full of lettuce cells and cells in the lungs, the nervous system. To help maintain muscles, bones, tendons. The treatment of anemia.

Signup to Shaanxi's nervous system and helps restore blood cell production and leaching of wastes in the blood. Allows the body to use calcium efficiently. Reduce symptoms of pain and degenerative.

Tomato to make red blood cells healthy. Makes good skin. Increase the body's immune system to aid digestion, intestinal lining of the stomach is functioning onions make me stronger.

Lemon helps to restore immunity.

Honey, your spleen energy.

Vegetables can be substituted or additional.

Ripe banana is a fruit that is high in vitamin C. To add sweeteners to vegetable juice blender. You can use banana instead of honey.

Red Apple: Vitamin C, calcium and phosphorus.

Chinese cabbage, lettuce, if that. Chinese cabbage is one that provides calcium and fiber. Incontinence is to help make them better.